Koot Karts back on the road today

Koot Karts, a Windber van service, will resume trips on a limited basis today after the service was canceled for two days because of a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission warning letter.

Bob Koot, co-founder of Koot Karts, said the limited service will be for Somerset County residents only until the issue is resolved.

The PUC warned Tableland Services that the commission received a complaint that vans were transporting people not included under its contract. Tableland has a state contract to operate the county transportation program, including shared ride services, senior citizen transportation, Koot Kart and Head Start.

“The contract allows them to transport from point A to point B,” said PUC deputy press secretary Denise McCracken. “One of those points has to be in Somerset County.”

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That’s where the problem came up. The PUC received a complaint from a certified carrier in Cambria County that Koot Karts has transported people from residences in Cambria County to locations in Cambria County.

The PUC sent Tableland a warning letter, reminding the agency that the practice is illegal. Continued violations could result in fines of $1,000 per violation. Repeated offenses could result in criminal prosecution with a possible fine of $10,000 and one-year imprisonment. The letter didn’t specify the transportation service that was in violation.

“What angers me is that they sent the letter without an investigation,” said Tableland Executive Director Jeffrey Masterson. “They say it’s a warning. They’ve threatened me with imprisonment. If that’s a warning, I’d hate to see what they’d say if they were serious. I’m speechless.”

He was told that the van was unmarked. All vans operated by Tableland are marked, including the Koot Karts.

“You can see Koot Karts 10 miles away,” he said. “I’m concerned that someone’s using our name, possibly to rip off people.”

Some Koot Kart riders live outside of Somerset County, Koot said. But some riders have a Windber address and a Windber telephone number even though their home is in Cambria County.

“We understand that because of the proximity of Somerset and Cambria counties people may be taken across county lines to the hospital or to churches,” she said. “That is acceptable. But they cannot transport someone from Cambria County to a location in Cambria County. We’re not trying to put the service out of business, we are trying to bring it into compliance.”

Tableland’s shared-ride van serves people in Somerset County and is allowed to transport people out of the county, Masterson said.

“I can understand them cracking down on fly-by-night taxis, but we are allowed to transport people,” he said. “The letter implies that we’re guilty.”

Vans will continue to transport people within county boundaries until the issue of out-of-the-county trips is worked out, Masterson said.

McCracken said the issue is similar to when people drive the Amish in their private vehicles. If they receive compensation for it — even if it is a donation or bartered goods instead of cash — they need a certificate of public convenience from the PUC. The van service doesn’t charge riders. It accepts donations only. The certificate costs $350 and must be renewed every year.

Drivers with certificates are monitored to ensure that they adhere to rules covering rates and territories, meet safety standards and maintain commercial insurance. The PUC has issued 95 warning letters in Clearfield, Jefferson and Indiana counties to drivers who transport Amish families. The commission also issued warning letters and fines against unlicensed jitneys in Pittsburgh. Jitneys are similar to taxis, but are privately owned vehicles.

“Regulations are necessary to guarantee the safety of drivers and passengers,” McCracken said. “If they are involved in an accident, they would not be covered by commercial insurance without certificates.”

Koot Karts have been in operation for four years.

The John and Ann Koot Memorial Fund purchased two Koot Karts in 2005 and donated them to Tableland. Koot Karts make about 300 trips a year. Drivers are volunteers.

Tableland is also known as the Community Action Partnership for Somerset County.